Presented at the Eighth Symposium on
Harmful Algae in the U.S.,
Long Beach, California,
November 15 – 19, 2015Coupled human-nature systems (CHANS) involve dynamic interactions between humans and nature,
often influenced by and affecting the distinct dynamic characteristics of each component. We present
an overview of an ongoing interdisciplinary research program focused on a specific type of systems that
couple expanding and fluctuating human coastal populations to episodic blooms of toxic marine algae,
drawing examples primarily from human interactions with blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia
brevis from the eastern Gulf of Mexico (“Florida red tides”). We introduce a set of HAB Symposium
“speed” presentations and associated posters based on multi-disciplinary research. Using extant, but
extraordinary, data to specify empirical models, this program of research has focused on characterizing
the influence of anthropogenic sources on K. brevis blooms, assessing the public health and economic
impacts of these blooms in an exposure-response framework, and defining the choice of appropriate
human policy responses to the hazard. We present examples of the generic aspects of CHANS systems in
the context of Florida red tides, and we discuss also some of the challenges involved in compiling and
analyzing the relevant data to support our positive and normative analytical efforts.NSF/CNH NO.100910
